Best Photo Editor for Mac

Whether you're a professional photographer, hobbyist, or avid social media user, you need a robust photo editor. The right image editing software will let you hone your creative style, giving your photos a unique edge.

Below, we take an in-depth look at the best photo editor software for Mac users. If you want to personalize and enhance your images, keep reading to learn more.

• What Should You Look for in Mac Photo Editing Software?
• What Types of Mac Photo Software Are There?
• 5 Best Photo Editors for Mac
• PhotoDirector
• PhotoShop
• Pixelmator Pro
• Lightroom
• DxO PhotoLab
• Edit Your Photos with the Best Mac Editor

What Should You Look for in Mac Photo Editing Software?

Before choosing the best photo editor for your Mac, it's vital to evaluate your needs. Making a list of any necessary software capabilities can be helpful and will ensure that you get optimal value from your purchase. Look for professional editing features like photo animation tools, GPS photo logs, and AI-powered sky replacement.

Ideally, the software you choose should be cross-platform. While you may currently use a Mac, compatibility with Windows can be helpful in the future.

Your photo editor should also be compatible with the RAW files you want to import from your camera. Pay attention to the software's RAW file conversion quality.

Usability is another critical consideration, especially if you don't have a professional background in photo editing. A user-friendly interface will reduce the time it takes to learn to use the software and make it easier to use the various editing features it offers. Guided editing tools will streamline your workflow and help you achieve the results you want.

Spending the time to consider your photo editing needs and researching each photo editor's features is worth it if you are serious about photography and post-processing.

What Types of Mac Photo Software Are There?

Mac photo editing software generally falls under three categories: beginner, enthusiast, and professional.

Photo editing products that come free with your computer or mobile device typically fall under the beginner group, even if they offer various editing features. Apple Photos and Google Photos are examples of beginner software.

Photo editors for photography enthusiasts are often paid products offering various essential editing tools, such as cropping, noise removal, and color adjusting. This type of photo editing software can provide exceptional value, but make sure that the mid-tier software you're considering offers the tools you need.

The professional category features the best photo editors for Mac. These products offer high-end workflow efficiency and layer editing features. If you need unique features, such as video-to-photo conversion tools and 360-degree photo editing, consider Mac photo software in this category.

5 Best Photo Editors for Mac

1. PhotoDirector

PhotoDirector from CyberLink is a photo editing software for Mac offering a combination of professional-level Photoshop and Lightroom features in one application. The intuitive user interface of this software makes it possible to jump in and start editing right away, even if you are new to the product. Using this editor's guided editing tools, you can add effects and make corrections.

Organization & Workflow

The organization and workflow tools you get with PhotoDirector are valuable, especially if you are a professional photographer. DSLR and RAW format support, background music libraries for slideshow creations, and OpenCL technology optimization, give PhotoDirector a competitive edge over other products. With PhotoDirector, you also get a face tag feature, GIF importing as a multi-image sequence, and GPS photo logs.

Adjustments & Color

The adjustment and color features include all the conventional photo editing tools you need as an image creator. Light ray effects, sparkle effects, and AI-powered sky replacement are the latest features from PhotoDirector.

Other professional adjustment and color tools are one-click keystone correction, photo animation, and advanced color replacement.

Guided Editing

As a beginner photo editor, you need guided editing features to create professional results quickly. These revolutionary features include enhanced content-aware move and clone. Using these tools, you can move an element within an image and fill the hole it leaves with matching content.

The guided editing tool section also features people and face beautification, watermarks, AI style effects, and more.

Layer Editing

Using layers during photo editing is among the most effective ways to create engaging and high-quality images. The layering tools you get with PhotoDirector let you separate the various elements of an image before applying adjustments.

This software offers the latest layering features, including AI object segmentation. You also get access to other layer editing features, such as snap alignment, layer filtering, and enhanced customizable bevel.

Unique Additional Editing

360-degree photo editing and innovative video-to-photo creation tools are unique extras exclusive to PhotoDirector. The 360-degree editing features include photo straightening, a unique tool that is only available with PhotoDirector. Using the video-to-photo editing tools, you can create the perfect group shots, motion stills, or multi-exposure images from video.

PhotoDirector is a high-end photo editing software offering all the features a professional photographer may need. If you are a beginner photographer or photo editor, this product is easy to use from the get-go, and the guided edits make the platform easy to learn.

To start creating high-quality images using your Mac computer, download CyberLink PhotoDirector today.

2. PhotoShop

Adobe Photoshop is synonymous with photo editing and a viable option for Mac users. This software offers a wide range of robust editing applications and is a desktop solution compatible with Windows and Mac.

With Photoshop, you can access different preset workspaces, which lets you remove the tools you don't need for your project. The workspace options available include Essentials Editing, Graphics and Web, 3D, and Photography.

As you become more familiar with this software, you can customize your workspace to work on unique projects.

Photoshop's retouching, masking, and layering tools are among the best available to photographers. This product also offers advanced color editing, extensive filters and brushes, and 3D design functionality.

Photoshop is a viable option for professional photographers who need all the bells and whistles of image editing. However, the interface is significantly more complex than PhotoDirector and requires a lot of time and patience to learn.

Best Features

• Powerful photo editor for professionals
• High-end selection and masking tools
• Available as a desktop solution and mobile application
• Sophisticated touch-up and multi-layer editing features
• Advanced color editing tools

3. Pixelmator Pro

Pixelmator Pro is a professional-level photo editor for Mac and a suitable option for the photographer on a budget. This software comes with an ML-Enhance mode, which uses machine learning to make color adjustments, saving you valuable time.

With Pixelmator Pro, you get access to all the basic photo editing features, such as filter, effects, color settings adjustments, cropping, and resizing. Using the machine learning tools, you can remove or move objects and replace them with other image elements, such as a background. The software also has a high-end repair tool that you can use to remove imperfections.

This product is a viable option if you require high-resolution image resizing. However, the product lacks some of the key features you need for photo editing. If you prefer an all-in-one photo editor for Mac, PhotoDirector is the better option.

Best Features

• Single-window layout with user-friendly interface
• Intelligent layout and machine learning capability
• Non-destructive editing tools
• Web-based solution compatible with Mac
• Image editing tools that include effects and color adjustments

4. Lightroom

Adobe Lightroom is a user-friendly alternative to Photoshop with a relatively simplistic interface. When editing an image using Lightroom, you have quick and convenient access to your image library, which lets you browse your photos while you edit. The platform also features drop-down menus for quick adjustments, which you can use for basic photo editing.

Advanced photo editing features of Lightroom include lens and camera corrections, repair and blurring tools, professional filters, and face detection. The brush and gradient adjustment features are also helpful in enhancing photographs.

Lightroom is a responsive and powerful editing solution for photographers, and it is one of the more straightforward tools to use. However, Lightroom doesn't offer layer editing. If you want to try different edits, play with transparency, or create multi-exposures, consider PhotoDirector instead.

Best Features

• User-friendly interface that is suitable for beginners
• Adjustment presets to save time
• Batch image processing and preset application
• Exceptional RAW file editor

5. DxO PhotoLab

DxO PhotoLab is a good image editor for users requiring high-quality RAW-to-JPEG image conversions. This product features a photo editor and image organizing system within a single software.

The most significant features you get with DxO PhotoLab include lens profile corrections, content-aware edits, keyword tagging, and face recognition. Other professional tools include various optical corrections and U-Point local adjustment technology for designating a reference point in the image and making automatic corrections.

DxO PhotoLab is a worthy option for professional photographers with extensive experience in post-processing. However, the software's interface is not beginner-friendly, which is a significant disadvantage when compared to PhotoDirector.

Best Features

• Exceptional RAW to JPEG image conversions
• Editing features to enhance low-light photos
• Artificial intelligence technology to reduce noise
• Database containing camera and lens combinations to produce perfect results

Edit Your Photos with the Best Mac Editor

We have reached the end of our guide on the best photo editors for Mac users. Hopefully, the information here is sufficient to help you make an informed buying decision.

You go through a lot of trouble to set up the perfect photo. As an avid photographer, you may spend a lot of time preparing your subject, testing out various camera angles, and finding frames within your environment.

However, these measures may not be sufficient to establish a narrative or convey a certain mood. You may need to edit your photos using a powerful and feature-rich editor.

As a Mac user, you can choose from hundreds of photo editing software options, which can be overwhelming. When selecting a photo editor, you need to consider your unique requirements to create the perfect results.

All things considered, CyberLink PhotoDirector is the best photo editor for Mac. This product offers all the editing tools you could ever need, including a comprehensive range of photo adjustment and layer editing features.

Download PhotoDirector today and make the most of your photographic talents.